Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost and thus the season of Easter comes to its conclusion.
On the fiftieth day following Easter the Holy Spirit came down upon the apostles who were gathered together within the Upper Room. It was from this experience that the Church was given its birth. It is the Holy Spirit who descends upon each of us and guides us forth to give of ourself in service to the Gospels.
At the Mass the Holy Spirit plays a prominent role through the “epiclesis” which means the “calling down from on high.” This is the moment when the priest places his hands over the gifts of bread and wine and calls the Holy Spirit to come down upon them. The calling down of the Holy Spirit also takes place in the Sacrament of Confirmation and Holy Orders when the bishop extends his hands upon the one who is to receive the sacrament.
The Holy Spirit continues to come down upon each of us and to guide our life. In the many ways that we have been bound into slavery, the Holy Spirit comes down upon us and sets us free. It guides us to follow Christ and to be set free through our love for Him which extends to our neighbor. So often we allow not the Holy Spirit to come down upon us to guide us in all which is true because we do not have the patience to wait nor to be guided.
One fitting hymn for this day is the “Veni Creator Spiritus” in English, “Come Creator Spirit.” This hymn is sung during ordinations and during the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation. This hymn is also sung as the cardinals process into the Sistine Chapel in order to elect a new pope. Therefore, it is the Holy Spirit who guides the Church as it was the Holy Spirit who guided the early Church through the teaching authority of the apostles.
Some claim that being “religious” is enough and therefore we do not need the “Church.” This claim goes against what took place at Pentecost where the Church’s mission began. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church (738-739): “Thus the Church's mission is not an addition to that of Christ and the Holy Spirit, but is its sacrament: in her whole being and in all her members, the Church is sent to announce, bear witness, make present, and spread the mystery of the communion of the Holy Trinity. Because the Holy Spirit is the anointing of Christ, it is Christ who, as the head of the Body, pours out the Spirit among his members to nourish, heal, and organize them in their mutual functions, to give them life, send them to bear witness, and associate them to his self-offering to the Father and to his intercession for the whole world.”
